Three psychiatrists from LA have been spending time psychoanalysing comic book characters.

They've noted Batman has psychosis but only has some symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, mentioned the Hulk also has symptoms of PTSD as well as anger issues, described Spider Man as having workaholic tendencies and anxiety, and commended Superman for being grounded (not 'god like') in choosing the wimpy alter-ego Clark Kent.

Their work with comic book characters has taken them far enough to present at the annual San Diego Comic Con for several years now. They hope fans will better understand real life mental health issues through their work.

What do you think? Does the Joker qualify for repeated admissions to the Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane? Are there any other comic book characters you would class as having mental illnesses?

Okay, so maybe I'm a TOTAL comic book nerd (yeah sure - you can leave out the 'maybe') but it seems to me as though this issue is being looked at from the wrong perspective. What I mean is that rather than saying that Batman HAS a mental illness ie psychosis I think it is more accurate to say that the characters that are portrayed as Batman AND Bruce Wayne are BOTH constructs of a disassociative personality disorder that enable him to function, to arguable effect, in the oppressive and disturbed environment that is Gotham City - his home.

For most of Bruce Wayne/Batman's life it is Bruce Wayne who, in this complicated character's life, has been the mask and, in fact, Batman the reality (at least up until the release of the "Knightfall" series which turned EVERYTHING upside down!).

Batman himself poses many interesting and absorbing psychological, psychiatric and philosophical questions, for example, as ALL of Batman's enemies display some form of psychiatric or psychological disturbance does his incredibly focused though morally questionable psychosis - he refuses to kill but told his enemy in the film "Batman Begins" as they were careering to seeming oblivion "I won't kill you, but that doesn't mean I will save you either." - enhance his ability hunt down and capture his foe? And, come to think of it, if he DID allow himself to kill wouldn't that ultimately SAVE more lives even just with regards to The Joker (who revels in the challenge of killing increasing numbers of people in, naturally, more and more twisted ways). The Joker CONTINUALLY escapes from Arkham Asylum and on each occasion slaughters more so there is a philosophical arguement that if Batman could bring himself to kill just ONE man (The Joker) then wouldn't the benefits outweigh the blight on his (Batman's) soul? Although perhaps it can be viewed that his refusal to kill is the ONLY thing that seperates Batman from his foes?

Speaking of his foes (and using this as an excuse to get WAY existential about Batman/Bruce Wayne for a second) is it possible that these foes, these DEMONS are all only a construct of Batman's mind? Maybe they represent aspects of his personality that, due to severe childhood trauma and who knows what developing mental health problems as he grew up, threaten to overwhelm him and the only way he can deal with them is to give them identities, personalities and substance to enable him to counter and manage them more effectively?

So, where does Robin come in to all of this? The way I see it Robin (and Alfred the butler) are measures that the comic book writers have put in place to help give Batman a chance to hang on - barely at times - to some kind of sanity; to stop him becoming so immersed in the darkness that surrounds EVERYTHING in his life. Robin is there to give balance. His presence continually serves to offer Batman the opportunity to realise the good in people, to value fairness, positivity, hope, innocent enthusiasm and even humour. Robin gives Batman the reason NOT to step over the rather faded and worn line that keeps him on the right side of not only the law but western ideals of morality. This is a hugely important issue, not just for Batman, but for the continued sale of his comics. Why? Because if Batman stops being an inspirational figure then we, the readers, will simply stop caring about him (although, to be fair, it was probably easier to justify a grown man running around in tights with a teenage boy at his side during the middle parts of the last century). It is THAT STRUGGLE that we see in every Batman comic, THAT battle (hopefully to a much lesser extent) that the majority of us "law abiding citizens" cope with everyday when we are faced with trivial moral decisions - "Do I tell that person that they've dropped a pound coin or do I wait until they've gone and keep it for myself?" .

I guess the point I'm trying to make in all of this can be expressed in two questions:1) Why is it that Batman, in my opinion the MOST important superhero, appeals to SO many and yet has MANY frailties and NO superpowers? and 2) If Batman/ Bruce Wayne ARE constructs of a severe mental illness why is it that so many of us aspire to be him and are prepared to shell out hard earned cash just to keep him in our lives? .....and the costume? It was ALWAYS going to be scarier to see part of Batman's face - the lower half - as it keeps us, the reader, in touch with the torrent of frightening and barely controlled emotions that pass across Batman's face as he continually battle with the darkness he faces both internally and externally. A 'full' mask would rob us of that crucial insight and, in doing so, distance Batman from the reader.

See? Told ya I was a comic book nerd - you were warned! If you're interested in pursuing this subject further there is an EXCELLENT book, "Batman and Philosophy: the Dark Knight of the Soul" by William Irwin and Mark D. White. Oh yeah, please also check out the series "Knightfall" - a staggering look into the psyche of what it means to be a superhero - available in either a 3 volume graphic novel or as a text only book.

Psychosis ?Well i dont think so every body wants to have great powers in them want to live larger than life and i think its quite normal when your testosterone levels are high. Its classical definition of hero and we can say that they have ideas of grandiosity not to a delusional extent. Shakespere creation of heros are more delusional and paranoid i guess and fits in classical syndorme of pathological jealousy, erotic synodrom, othello etc...instead the psyschiatrist should have analyzed the mentors i mean the creator of heros..

Three psychiatrists from LA have been spending time psychoanalysing comic book characters. They've noted Batman has psychosis but only has some symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, mentioned the Hulk also has symptoms of PTSD as well as anger issues, described Spider Man as having workaholic tendencies and anxiety, and commended Superman for being grounded (not 'god like') in choosing the wimpy alter-ego Clark Kent. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/21/batman-villains-psychoanalyzed_n_901913.htmlhttp://www.aolnews.com/2010/07/22/super-shrinks-psychoanalyze-superheroes/ Their work with comic book characters has taken them far enough to present at the annual San Diego Comic Con for several years now. They hope fans will better understand real life mental health issues through their work. What do you think? Does the Joker qualify for repeated admissions to the Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane? Are there any other comic book characters you would class as having mental illnesses?Posted by Sabreena